


Butters The Paladin

by Qstuart



Category: South Park
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Class Differences, Elves, Gen, High Fantasy, Magic, Middle Ages, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Princess Kenny McCormick, South Park: The Stick of Truth, Stick of Truth AU, War
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-01
Updated: 2020-01-19
Packaged: 2021-02-26 20:21:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,813
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21624751
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Qstuart/pseuds/Qstuart
Summary: After the unexpected death of his father, Butters is send to live with his grandmother who doesn't accept him.Meanwhile, the ongoing war with the elves is becoming much more of a reality.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 7





	1. Chapter 1

There was that silence again.

Butters became all too familiar with the uneasy feeling that silence brought with it, more so than he would like to admit.  
Sometimes, it would come in spurts. Butters didn't even had to do something in particular for it to be present. He hated it the most when it would happen like that because he couldn't tell why he needed to feel these specific feelings at those exact moments, Feelings consisting of sadness, some anger, a little bit of regret but most importantly...fear.

Butters knew he wasn't close to being a heroic person or even just your average adult. People would often walk over him knowing that he wouldn't do anything to stop it anyway.  
Most people saw him as the innocent, pretty clueless, and easy manipulated person. Butters would almost agree with that assessment if it wasn't for the fact that he always knew when someone would try and ''manipulate'' him. He wasn't shy of letting people know that he would basically help anybody with whatever if it doesn't conflict with his morals.  
So it would confuse him when people would still try to manipulate him but he decided he would help them anyway.

Something he couldn't help however were these unprompted feelings that would decide it was a good time to change his entire mood from what it was before.  
Butters liked being happy. He loved being able to help people and make them feel better even if it usually meant that it would be at his own cost. Butters didn't care that much if that was the case because being able to help gave him much more joy than the small price he had to pay.  
He has a lot of pride in being a good person and overall being a positive influence in the world.  
So when he suddenly would feel sad and hopeless, He couldn't help but think he got robbed of what made him who he really was.  
He couldn't stand feeling like this and here it was again accompanied with silence. On the other hand, this was not one of those times where it came out of nowhere.  
Butters could sense something wrong from the moment he entered the house.

His grandmother's household was a pretty large building, Decorated in a way that even the average person of nobility would be slightly confused that it doesn't belong to royalty.  
From elegant paintings on the walls to beautiful chandeliers on the ceiling. Grandma Stotch sure has made a name for herself in the Kingdom of Kupa Keep.  
Everyone knew her as being one of the wealthiest noblewoman there is even though she didn't start out that way. She used to have husband that at the time had a way higher ranking than her. The two of them had Butters’s dad Stephen in the time they were together but her husband died soon after. She was able to inherit the belongings of her deceased husband and used it to build up her own ranking in Kupa Keep.  
She did a pretty good job of it too because she managed to climb so high in the ranking that people today are still talking about it.  
Unfortunately for her, the story is not being told in a glorified fashion as it once was.  
Rumors are floating around that she was actually the one who killed her own husband in order for her to get his belongings. Some people would say that she poisoned him, others would say that she choked him in his sleep. A few individuals even believe that she stabbed him to death.  
What once was considered to be a story you would tell to your kids to inspire them, quickly turned into a story in which you would think it was about some kind of witch.

Butters never got the appeal of his grandmother's house. He was sure that every individual item residing in the household was worth more than everything he has ever owned in his entire life put together but he could not comprehend how folk would make such a big deal about it.  
To him it was just another expensive vase or just some portrait of a person who probably died a few hundred years ago.  
Portraits in which he noticed that the person in them would never smile. If Butters ever got the chance to have a portrait be made of him, He would hold the biggest smile in them even if it meant he had to hold that exact same smile for long periods of time.  
Everything in the house seemed so...lifeless.  
His parents old farm didn't come close to possessing the kind of valuables Butters came across in this household but at least there was more charm to them.  
Butters could tell a story about every nook and cranny on that farm, some more positive than others.  
Here, the decoration and the elegant features were just that and nothing more.  
Nothing in this house felt ''elegant'' to him, just bleaker but Butters knew better then to only blame the house for making him feel this way.

It came as no surprise to him that he would be send to his grandmother after his father died in a mysterious fashion and his mother was unable to take care of him.  
His grandma was the only known family member he had.  
What did surprise him however, was that she was actually willing to take Butters into her arms. Butters barely knew her but from the few times she visited the farm, He could tell that she hated everything about the farm and his family. Butters would overhear her talking to his dad Stephen that he wasted his life by marrying a peasant and that he is a disgrace to the family name. Stephen would just shrug it off as one of her spiels.  
Butters couldn't figure out why she would visit the farm, just to tell Stephen off and look at his mom and him in disgust. Someone of her status surely had something more important to do, Butters would often think.  
But all of that wouldn't matter in the end because he was about to be send away to live with his grandmother for reasons that were still vague to him.  
Butters was only 10 at the time, so he couldn't remember much of how he got there.  
The one thing he could remember clear as day was the excruciating silence that came before it.

If somebody would have asked Butters before he left the farm if he hated anybody, He would have answered that there is no such thing as hating anyone.  
However, nowadays he wasn't so sure if that was still the case. His grandmother went out of her way to make sure that Butters couldn't stick with his initial answer.  
Since the first day he arrived there it has been nothing but pain. She let Butters immediately know that he isn't worth anything and he would have been better off joining his father fate if it wasn't for her hospitality.  
She would ''fix him'' of most of his shortcomings that came naturally from being a peasant and all; however, Butters would never understand the intricate aspects that comes with being a person of nobility, she mentioned. She claimed that he being born from a peasant mother, tainted the noble bloodline they shared which in turn made it so that Butters was destined to have a life of disappointment.  
It scared Butters to think about how she was so capable of saying that with such conviction and ease as if it were common knowledge. Butters never saw himself as a person that needed ''fixing'' as his grandmother would say. He definitely didn't expect that most of his problems would just stem from being born a peasant. Why did it matter that much where he came from? He was still Butters, the person who loves helping people whenever he could with a bright smile on his face. The person who already knew that he wanted to be an individual who had a positive impact in the world since he was young boy and he followed those beliefs strictly in order to stay on that path  
He is even the person who would burst into laughter if he heard something mildly funny.  
All in all, he is a person that would aim much higher than a life of disappointment.

It didn't take long for Butters to stop trying to convince his grandmother that he was a normal person just like her. He learned over the years while staying at her house and being around noblemen that you can't change some people's mind. They would be too headstrong to the point where it didn't matter what anyone would try to say to convince them otherwise. His grandmother has a very strict way of how everything is supposed to work. That became clear with all rules she set in the house but it definitely didn't shy away from her personality. On the one hand, Butters could see from which side of the family he got his determination from when it came to his morals. On the other hand, he hoped it would never get as bad as his grandmother or even his father for that matter.

Butters was prepared to continue his ''regular enough'' day like he has done for the last 10 years but he noticed something off about his grandmother's house when he entered it. The household seemed disordered. It wasn't necessarily messy but some items were not where they were supposed to be. He could see an empty wine glass, a plate with breadcrumbs on it and a half full glass bottle next to it on the table. He could take away that his grandmother had her usual wine session here but what he couldn't understand was the fact that she didn't clean up afterwards. His grandmother is all about cleanliness and perfection. She takes it so seriously that she wouldn't even pay someone to clean the household like most people of nobility would do normally. Some days she would say that she can't trust other people to do it right; other days she would say that they aren't even allowed in the household because they will ruin her belongings out of jealousy.  
Butters put that together as one of the few reasons to establish that she seems to have trust issues. He was past the point of taking it personally when his grandmother would not keep her eyes off Butters when he was cleaning something or just being in the house in general. Butters actually began to take it as an compliment that he was even allowed to clean around the house even though she was never satisfied of his work and would immediately cleanup after him.

‘’Uhm...Mrs. Stotch?’’ Butters said just loudly enough that she would be able to hear it if she was in the close vicinity of the household but not loud enough to disturb her of whatever she was doing in this point of time.

"No response"

Butters is never allowed to call her anything but Mrs. Stotch. He must never utter the word grandmother to her or even mention that they were related to anyone else; for all they know, Butters is just a peasant child that was fortunate enough to be saved by such a caring and loving woman.

‘’She probably went upstairs to her room, She seemed more sleepy than normal these past couple of days,’’ Butters thought.

Butters was hoping he could hear the annoying creaking noise the stairs would always make as he went up it but unfortunately, it was dead silent. He would take any noise over silence because it would remind him that he isn’t in some kind of lonely purgatory.  
The only things that were accompanying him were those all too familiar unprompted feelings.

Butters went through the hallway that led to the bedroom of his grandmother and was now standing in front of the door. He could feel his heart pounding rapidly and he started to sweat.

“Come on Leopold, there is no reason to be this intense. She just went to bed early today because she felt tired, old people are known for being tired all the time so its’s not really a surprise,’’ Butters thought out loud.

He took a deep breath and tried to recollect himself as best as he could before he knocked on the door.

‘’Mrs. Stotch, Are you sleeping?’’ Butters said nervously.

‘’No response’’

Butters not wanting to wait in silence any longer decided he would open the door.  
It surprised him seeing his grandmother sleeping in her bed even though he said earlier to himself that she would be doing that. A smile almost appeared on his face before he remembered that his grandmother didn’t respond to him before and it was still too silent.

“ I’m sorry for entering your room without permission Mrs. Stotch but I just wanted to make sure you were fine. I saw some leftover items on the table and figured you were too tired to clean it up.  
Don’t worry, I will happily clean it up for you so you can stay in bed and get your re…” Butters cut his sentence short when he finally reached his grandmother.

‘’It doesn’t seem like she’s breathing,’’ Butters thought while getting more stressed as the seconds went by.

Butters carefully placed a finger on her hand for any signs that would suggest otherwise of what he was fearing at that moment.

‘’Cold’’

Butters lost all of his composure and started to freak out.

“Please wake up Mrs. Stotch. I know you’re just sleeping…you have to be!” Butters was practically yelling at this point while trying to shake her awake with no success.

“I need you to be alive, you’re the only family member I still have!” he suddenly went quiet after saying that.

Butters took note of what came out of his mouth. He started to realize that he has been without a family ever since he left the farm. His grandmother did not accept him as a family member or even a normal human being for that matter. His dad suffered a mysterious death and his mom is nowhere to be found.  
It has been such a long time since he was on the farm with his mom and dad that he forgot what family meant to him. The idea of considering his grandmother family like he has done until this point, scared him.

Butters started to tear up a little. 

When did he allow himself to have that idea? Did he change in such a way where that was even remotely acceptable?  
Butters never noticed his personality change much while he was here.  
Maybe it extended further than his speech or his social etiquette but it wouldn’t make sense in this case. His grandmother made it immediately clear that they were not family so why would Butters think that. Was the idea of having a family member that important to him?

Butters got out of his thoughts when he heard a bird chirping. He looked to where the noise was coming from and saw a beautiful black and white bird with a dark red marking on the breast area.  
The bird was standing in an open window at the other side of the room.  
Butters took his attention of the bird and looked towards his deceased grandmother.

‘’I’m sorry Mrs. Stotch, I managed to turn this situation about myself instead of you. You deserved better than this’’

Butters observed her closer and looked at the necklace she was wearing. It reminded him of the necklace his dad gave to his mother. There were no differences between the two because they were Stotch family heirlooms. His grandmother didn’t like it of course that Stephen gave it to a peasant women but there was not much she could do about it.  
The necklace has a yellow gem that you could see from a mile away, not because it was vibrant or anything just really big.

Butters reached towards the necklace to take a full look of the gem but it stung him when he touched it. He took it as a sign to not mess with someone else belongings.

“What now?’’

How would he share the news of his not grandmother passing away?  
What would happen to butters? He won’t be allowed to stay in the house even if he’s old enough to take care of himself this time. Only family members were allowed to get the remaining properties and like Butters was told many times…they were not family.

The bird from earlier left the room and Butters decided he would do so as well. he was glad that he could hear the creaking stairs this time while walking downstairs, this and the bird signified that silence took a break from haunting butters. He was back in the dining area and saw the leftover stuff that was still on the table.

“I said I would clean it for you so that is exactly what I’m going to do’’ Butters said with extra determination.

It didn’t take long for him to do so but he felt good afterwards. The house was clean again and he could hear the birds chirping outside, birds that were a bit louder than normal. Butters was confused as to why the birds were so talkative today. He went to open the front door to investigate the noise and immediately got an answer.

“Princess Kenny?’’

The kingdom’s very own princess decided to pay Butters a visit and she looked as beautiful as ever.  
Her styled gold hair was flowing in the wind and was topped with a gold crown with purple jewels.  
The gorgeous purple dress she wore helped her radiate the positive energy she always had, The kind of energy that would attract every critter nearby.

“Hello Leopold, how are you?’’ princess Kenny said with a smile.

“Oh I’m fine princess…Well actually I’m not’’ Butters said in a nervous tone.

Princess Kenny’s smile faltered and was now replaced with a stern one.

‘’What’s the matter Leo?” 

“Uhmm….It’s my grandmother, she’s…” Butters had a difficult time getting his words out.

“You can trust me Leopold, we are friends right? You have helped me before when I desperately needed someone and I would like to help you with what is troubling you,’’ Princes Kenny said in a reassuring voice.

She was right.  
If there was one person who Butters completely trusted it would be princess Kenny.  
This is also why she is the only person to know who his grandmother really is.  
They have formed a deep relationship between each other over the past years.  
Butters couldn’t believe the concept of being friends with a princess but he managed to make it happen.

‘’You’re right,” Butters softly spoke.

“Ofcoure I am,” Princess Kenny said with a weak smile.

“I just found out that my grandmother…died. I felt something off when I entered the house and when I couldn’t hear her breathing while she laid in bed, I kind of lost it’’ Butters said whilst looking down.

“Oh…I’m so sorry Leo’’

“I felt so scared and alone. I didn’t know what to do and the worst part was that most of my sadness wasn’t because of what happened to her but what would happen to me. I’m a horrible person,” Butters started to cry.

Princess Kenny went to embrace Butters in her arms.

“You never have to feel scared or alone Leopold because you have me, remember that I will always be there for you when you need me like how I know you would be there for me when I need you.”

Princess Kenny ended the embrace and put her hands on Butters shoulders while looking in his watery cyan coloured eyes.

“I need you to realise that you can’t judge yourself for having natural feelings. No one can control what type of feelings or concerns they have during a certain situation. It doesn’t mean you’re a bad person for having concerns that revolves around you, it just means that you are a person.

Butters could see the seriousness in her face. Her usual cheerful amethyst eyes turned into a steely pair. Butters was still sniffling but he understood everything she said to him. She always knew the right thing to say to cheer him up.

“You’re right…again,’’ Butters chuckled.

“I’m glad you’re with me on this. We should go while the sun is still out,’’ Princess Kenny smiled.

“Uhm where are we going?” a confused Butters asked

“We are going home”

“Wait what?” an even more confused Butters asked

“Well you obviously can’t stay here and I’m not letting you live on the streets so you’re going to live with me in the castle”

“Oh geez I don’t think that will go well, someone like me probably shouldn’t be in a royal castle” Butters said nervously.

“You’ll be fine, having a princess as a friend does wonders you know.” Princess Kenny winked.

Butters could only offer her a nervous smile in return.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well I guess this is the start to my first ever story. This is loosely based around SoT and won't be following the same story line as the game. I'll try to keep the characters as canon as possible that keeps in line in how they would imagine their fantasy personas. The characters will be adults for the majority of the story.  
> Kenny is born a female in this story because that is what I assume he was going for in his princess Kenny persona. 
> 
> Also English isn't my first language so my apologies if it can get a bit difficult to read but I swear I tried :p  
> Leave a comment and please let me know what you think!  
> Kudos and Subscriptions are also much appreciated.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I’m sorry Leopold. It was quite insensitive of me to just drag you along to the royal castle after everything you have just been through. Of course me thinking of the most obvious solution to the problem didn’t consider how much unnecessary tension I would be bringing with it.”
> 
> Butters was lost for words and could only return a confused face.
> 
> “You need some well needed rest without having to worry about anything. Even though the royal castle may not be the place for you yet, I know exactly the spot that will work for now” Princess Kenny said with a grin.

Butters’s mind was all over the place while they were passing through the city to reach the castle.  
He couldn’t believe that the one and only Princess Kenny is making him stay in the royal castle with her. The same castle where the highest and most important people of the entire kingdom resided.  
Butters wouldn’t even amount to the worst worn-down forgotten rug in the cellar, he would think but here he was just casually going to start living there if it were up to Princess Kenny.

She is also the only reason why Butters is rather calm now, sure he is a little nervous and his thoughts keeps jangling inside his brain but he knew that as long as he is with Princess Kenny, he will be safe.  
That didn’t have anything to do with the fact that she happens to be a princess but just the kind of person she is. She would never allow a friend as close as Butters to worry about anything while she is there to help or even protect him.  
Princess Kenny has a do everything straight on mentality which also includes her friendships. If she feels like there is any type of way she could help a friend, she will do it. It’s one of the many qualities that makes her special.

It was hard for people to try and dislike Princess Kenny and as far as Butters knew, no one did.  
They were passing the city and she has already been greeted with countless of genuine smiles and waves from the townsfolk.  
It’s a normal procedure for people of royalty to have knights with them for protection when they are roaming the city but that didn’t seem needed for Princess Kenny.  
Not that she would have let them anyway because she hates the feeling of having to be taken care of and they would hamper the “free spirited aspect” she was going for.

“You’ve been very quiet Leopold, Can I help you with what is going through your mind?”

“Oh um, no princess. I don’t think there is a possible way for you to help me even more than you currently are,” Butters chuckled.

“You are already doing way more than you honestly have to, It’s just that a lot is happening in this short period of time,” Butters went back to a more sombre look.

Princess Kenny suddenly stopped walking and Butters could notice her thinking about something.

“Is everything alright Princess?” a puzzled Butters said.

“I’m sorry Leopold. It was quite insensitive of me to just drag you along to the royal castle after everything you have just been through. Of course me thinking of the most obvious solution to the problem didn’t consider how much unnecessary tension I would be bringing with it.”

Butters was lost for words and could only return a confused face.

“You need some well needed rest without having to worry about anything. Even though the royal castle may not be the place for you yet, I know exactly the spot that will work for now” Princess Kenny said with a grin.

“should I be concerned?” Butters asked

“No of course not. You having to be concerned is what I’m trying to avoid in the first place. I know I’m all over the place right now which I apologize for but you have to trust me on this one,” Princess Kenny looked right into his cyan coloured eyes.

“You will always have my trust Princess Kenny and that won’t ever change, I just feel like my situation is starting to become a burden of yours and I would hate it if that was the case. Maybe I should just figure out my own plan so you won’t have to worry about anything,” Butters said while rubbing the back of his neck.

“A plan such as?” Princess Kenny asked sceptically.

Butters’s face lit up as if he already had a genius plan figured out and had yet to share it with Princess Kenny. Maybe he didn’t need her help after all.

“Well I was trying to come up with some ways to make money in order to afford a place to live when I thought of something rather innovative if I do say so myself. It has to do with shoes.”

“Shoes…?” Princess Kenny said being confused by all of this.

“More specifically boots. Have you noticed how most people in Kupa Keep have dirty boots to the point where you can’t even tell the original colour. What if someone like me cleans them up for a good price and they won’t have to worry about dirty shoes ever again. I could definitely make a fortune out of this,” Butters said in what could be considered a way too excitingly fashion for what he had to share.

The next few moments were quiet between the two. It was later in the day so by now the people that were on the same street as them were clearing to go home. It was either that or they must have heard of Butters’s “amazing” plan and decided they have heard enough of today.

“Good idea….right?” Butters said clearly taken aback by Princess Kenny’s deadpan facial expression.”

Princess Kenny didn’t want to hurt Butters his feelings by telling him that his idea was incredibly unrealistic in multiple ways and just plain stupid. Who would pay money to get their shoes cleaned if they can just do it themselves?  
Even if there were a few strange individuals that would actually pay Butters to clean their shoes for them, how can he possibly expect to live off of that?

Butters sure has his moments of cluelessness when it came to how the real world works but that is one of the reasons why Princess Kenny likes him so much. He may be naïve and will think of things that are completely illogical but the optimism he shows with said plan is something you won’t see anywhere else. It’s hard to blame him for that. 

“Umm Leo….I don’t think that plan will work out,” Princess Kenny said while biting her lip.

“Yeah you’re probably right, I would never be able to keep up with all the shoes I would be getting,” Butters let out a exasperated sigh.

“Yeah that’s probably it,” Princess Kenny couldn’t help but chuckle a little.

“So how about the spot I mentioned earlier, Is it more appeasing as of right now?” Princess Kenny asked.

“I don’t know Princess Kenny. I don’t want to bother you when I don’t have to,” Butters said sheepishly.

“Leopold, The only thing that would bother me right now is you living on the streets. What type of friend would I be if I was able to ignore what you have just gone through and what you are currently facing? You are stuck with me now so let me help you or I’m going to have to use my special princess powers on you,” Princess Kenny was only slightly joking when she said that.

“Alright I’m sorry. I guess I really shouldn’t try this hard to live on the streets when you’re here to make sure I’m safe” Butters rubbed his neck.

“exactly, I’m glad you see it the same way now.”

“So what’s this spot you were talking about?” Butters asked.

“A close friend of mine has a small house not far from here. He will take you in,” Princess Kenny said

“You have a friend that has no problem with taking me in for a while? He seems like a really nice guy if that’s the case. Maybe I can be good friends with him as well,” Butters said with a big smile. 

“Oh I didn’t say he wouldn’t have a problem with it because he most definitely will.”

Butters smile faltered and he went back to a more nervous state.

“He is not the type of person that’s easily approachable but you will figure that much out when you meet him. Just try to not take it personally when he seems unfair because he’s like that with everyone.

“How do you know if he will allow me to stay with him?” A slightly confused Butters asked

“Because he will notice how important this is to me. He is also a lot nicer than he lets on. He won’t say no….a lot of times,” Princess Kenny chuckled.

“You have my trust so I’ll believe it will work out,” Butters smiled.

“Thank you. If for some reason it doesn’t work, you could share your shoe plan with him and he’ll probably laugh” Princess Kenny grinned at Butters.

“Hey! It’s still a really good idea, it just needs some small adjustments,” Butters being slightly offended with what Princes Kenny said.

“Sure it does. We should start walking again before he won’t open the door anymore because of how late it is.”

“Good point but I will convince you sooner or later of how awesome my plan is” Butters smirked.

“Yeah good luck with that Leopold. You will forget about your “awesome plan” in less than a week” Princess Kenny stuck her tongue out and walked away before Butters was able to protest.

The two of them were once again walking through the capital Kupa Keep and Butters noticed that they were on the outskirts now because of how close they were to the giant wall that served as protection.  
Butters never liked the idea of having a wall around the place he called home, it seemed unnatural to him. They never had a wall when he lived on the farm and they seemed fine without it.  
Would he have said no to the idea of a wall being built around the village when he was growing up there, absolutely not. The protection it would provide alone was enough of a reason to say yes in Butters his mind but he guesses that he still feels a certain resentment towards a wall because they never got the option to have one.  
He was grateful that the village was never targeted during this age-old ongoing war because it would’ve only took one unfortunate attack for the village and the people in it to cease to exist.

Butters thought about how he never had a first-hand experience with this supposedly intense war but yet keeps hearing about it. At times he wondered if the war was actually real and not just some fantasy story that was made up by a young child  
That’s surprising because Butters would believe in any mythical creature if someone told him about it, much to his parents and grandmother dismay.  
He remembers every instance of when he brought something like that up with his parents or grandmother because of the stupidity he would feel afterwards.

_“No Butters, there is no such thing as a monster that lives under your bed,” His mother rolled her eyes._

____

____

_“You actually believe in a beast with abnormal sized feet? Your kind never ceases to amaze me of how useless they are,” His grandmother laughed._

______ _ _

______ _ _

_“What is a lake monster and why the hell does it need money!” His father said angrily._

________ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _

Not the fondest of memories but to be fair to Butters, it wouldn’t be so strange to assume these creatures were real when apparently magical beings like elves exist.  
He has also never seen elves, however, he has heard countless of times of their existence.  
Beings who are known for being frail compared to humans yet exude huge magic capabilities.

________ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _

Humans are also capable to have magic capabilities although only a select few are lucky enough to be born with it. It’s probably for the better that not every human is born with it since it would most likely turn chaotic and it would get banned in the Kingdom of Kupa Keep.  
The few people who are able to use magic have different roles depending on which background they came from. If they came from nobility, nothing would really change except from small menial tasks.  
On the other hand, peasants would be send away with the knights to help in the war. They wouldn’t use their magic to fight but rather heal the knights back up to full health, if such a thing was even manageable.

________ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _

“We’re here,” Princess Kenny said while motioning to a small house in front of her.

________ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _

Butters snapped out of his thoughts and studied the house in front of him. It’s certainly different from his grandmother’s huge household, this one was quite a bit smaller and it seemed a bit rundown. Butters didn’t really care because it still seemed better than his family’s farm and he was not about to be picky.

________ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _

“Alright….You go first,” Butters hid behind Princess Kenny.

________ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _

“Just follow my lead,” Princess Kenny grabbed his arm and basically dragged him to the door.

________ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _

Princess Kenny knocked on the door.

________ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _

“No response”

________ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _

They looked at each other and Princess Kenny decided to knock again.

________ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _

“I heard you the first time!” they could hear a man yell from the other side of the door.

________ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _

The man opened the door to see who was bothering him at this time of hour.

________ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _

“Kenny?” the man said in what Butters assumed was a confused tone as he couldn’t really tell. His face didn’t show any emotion either.

________ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _

Butters took a good look of the man in front of him. He was around the same age as them and a rather tall individual. Butters was definitely on the shorter side, being barely taller than Princess Kenny but he could tell that the man was taller than most.  
Butters could see his black hair peeking out of his blue chullo hat with a barely visible from Butter’s his perspective, yellow puffball on top. He was also wearing a tan shirt with black pants.  
What intrigued Butters the most on his outfit were the belt with pouches that went across his body and the brown chinstrap made of fabric. It made Butters wonder what he would do for a living.

________ _ _ _ _

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“Hey Craig, How are you?” Princess Kenny said with a big smile.

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Craig took a quick glimpse of Butters and then looked back at Princess Kenny, still not showing any expressions.

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“What do you want Kenny?”

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Butters not liking the way this conversation is going, started to fidget with his hands. It’s one of his coping mechanism when he gets stressed.

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“Oh come on Craig, don’t be so serious all the time. Is it wrong for a friend to visit another dear friend of hers?” Princess Kenny put her hands on her hips.

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“Not when there is obviously something more to it. Friends don’t normally show up unannounced at this time of hour,” Craig looked back at Butters who was now looking to the ground and still fidgeting with his hands.

________ _ _ _ _

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“They also don’t bring a stranger to their house who is definitely hiding something.”

________ _ _ _ _

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Butters got startled when Craig acknowledged his existence.

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“Who Leopold? He couldn’t even try and hide something even if he wanted to. It’s not in his nature, right Leo?” Princess Kenny turned her attention to Butters who shot up from being talked to.

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“No sir! Aw dang it, I meant to say no ma’am….or just no Princess Kenny…,” Butters stopped talking out of embarrassment.

________ _ _ _ _

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Craig sighed, “Can you just tell me already what you want? I don’t want to stand here all night.”

________ _ _ _ _

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“Alright fine. You were kind of familiar with the old lady Stotch right? Princess Kenny asked.”

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“Yeah I’ve run into her a few times unfortunately. She is one of my favourite people to flip off. Insufferable hag,” Craig said with no signs of restrain.

________ _ _ _ _

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Princess Kenny quickly glimpsed to Butters who seemed to have something on his mind.

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“What about her?” Craig followed up with.

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“Well she passed away today” Princess Kenny shared.

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“Oh shit, I didn’t think she had it in her. She has been surviving around her age for longer than I ever would’ve expected. I just assumed that she couldn’t die anymore” Craig shrugged.

________ _ _ _ _

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“You probably also know about a particular “peasant” child she was raising.”

________ _ _ _ _

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Butters looked at Craig with extra attention to see if he would show any emotion of him getting mentioned by Princess Kenny but his facial expression never changed.

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“I overheard her boasting about her taking care of a person of a low class but I never seen her with him. I don’t see her as a caring person to do such a thing so I doubt he was even real, either that or the kid jumped off of Kupa Keep’s wall the first chance he got. I know I would do the same if I had to be raised by her.”

________ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _

Butters thought about everything Craig had to say about his grandmother. It surprised him how much he seemed to dislike her for barely knowing her. On the other hand, Butters couldn’t blame him. He knew that there were a lot of people like him who disliked his grandmother but Butters always convinced himself that she wasn’t that bad.  
He would never admit the fact of not liking her because it would go against the kind of person he strove to be but deep down he knew the kind of feelings he had for her.  
Unfortunately for Butters, none of those feelings were positive.  
Just the fact of those feelings existing made Butters scrunch up his face which Craig took notice of.

________ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _

“hmm you know what, I think he may be alive after all,” Craig now looking directly at Butters.

________ _ _ _ _

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“umm, are you referring to me?” Butters asked.

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“I don’t know, am I?” Craig’s face seeming slightly more stern.

________ _ _ _ _

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Butters couldn’t muster up a response and stayed quiet until Princess Kenny placed a hand on his shoulder to remind him that he is not alone here.

________ _ _ _ _

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“Yes you are. I’m the person who got partly raised by miss Stotch” Butters said while being able to look Craig directly into his Citrine coloured eyes.

________ _ _ _ _

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“I’ve figured that much. Poor you but what has that to do with me. For some reason I can already tell where this is going”

________ _ _ _ _

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“As you may know Craig, only family members are allowed to receive the belongings and property when one passes away and even though she was raising Leopold here, They weren’t family,” Princess Kenny said.

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“And you’re telling me all this because…?” Craig clearly waiting for her to get to the point.

________ _ _ _ _

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“Leopold needs a place to stay for a while so I thought I would bring him here to live with you,” Princess Kenny bit her lip.

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“And there it is,” Craig sighed.

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Butters was even less hopeful of landing a spot at Craig’s house after his response but Princess Kenny seemed unfazed.

________ _ _ _ _

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“Craig, before you say no, I need you to understand that he has no place to stay and I don’t want for him to end up on the streets.

________ _ _ _ _

Just like earlier today, the next few moments were very quiet. Princess Kenny and Butters being confused by Craig’s lack of a response. 

________ _ _ _ _

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“Craig?” Princess Kenny trying to make him respond.

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“Can I say no now?” Craig said with a lack of any emotions.

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“Craig! I’m being serious.” Princess Kenny clearly getting irritated by Craig’s antics.

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“Kenny, you are a princess. Just demand a random family into taking him in or hell, just take him to your castle if you want him of the streets so bad. I don’t want anything to do with him.”

________ _ _ _ _

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“This isn’t some stray animal you are talking about Craig. I’m not going to drop him off at a random family. I needed someone I could trust and where he would feel safe and get his rest to figure stuff out. The castle is unfortunately not a peaceful environment for him”

________ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _

This tension between the two made Butters fidget with his hands once again. He started to feel useless by not helping Kenny with this problem that didn’t even revolve around her.  
He felt bad for letting her do his battle but she looked so determined while doing it.  
Her amethyst coloured eyes gave off a fiery expression in which Butters has never seen before.  
This meant a lot to her.

________ _ _ _ _

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“Seems like you should’ve picked a better person to trust,” Craig shrugged.

________ _ _ _ _

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“Cut this “Emotionless asshole” act Craig. I know you have a personality beyond that because you are one of the few people I can consider a friend. You of all people should want to keep someone from our age of the streets!”

________ _ _ _ _

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Craig’s facial expression softened a bit. He was clearly thinking about something.

________ _ _ _ _

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“But if all of that doesn’t matter to you for some reason, do it for me because it fucking matters to me,” Princess Kenny was basically piercing Craig’s eyes with the same fiery expression.

________ _ _ _ _

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Butters was taken aback by Princess Kenny’s demeanour she was having at the moment. He never heard her swear before and she was radiating a whole different energy than before.  
It was scary yet, something wonderful to witness.

________ _ _ _ _

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It went quiet once again but this time Craig was looking to the ground with something on his mind. Kenny kept her fiery expression on Craig while Butters was trying to figure out the scene between the two of them.

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Craig decided to look up again.

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“Fine whatever but don’t get too comfortable,” Craig sighed.

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The shock that was planted on Butters his face was something you thought the human body was never capable of showing. His mouth was left far agape and his eyes were wide open to the point of almost falling out of Butters.

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“Thank you….I really appreciate it that you would do this for me,” Butters spoke softly.

________ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _

He didn’t respond.

________ _ _ _ _

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“Yeah me too Craig. This means a lot to me,” Princess Kenny said. Her piercing gaze from before was replaced by her usual cheerful one.

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“Can I go sleep now?” Craig said, clearly wanting this day to end already.

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“Sure but I need to talk to Leopold real fast,” Princess Kenny responded.

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Craig shrugged while walking back into his house.

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“I can’t believe you managed to convince him to take me in. I was almost certain he was about to say no,” Butters said still shocked.

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“You were doubting my persuasion skills? You should know better than to question a princess of her abilities,” Princess Kenny clearly pretending to be offended.

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Butters decided to play along with Princess Kenny’s act. He went to kneel before her and was basically worshiping her.

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“You, Princess Kenny, are too good for simpleminded folk like me. You are everything us people strive to be but won’t ever reach. Just you gracing me with your presence is all that I could ask for,”

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“At least there is one person who knows the greatness I possess…,” Princess Kenny couldn’t continue without bursting into laughter in which Butters joined immediately after.

________ _ _ _ _

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They continued their normal conversation after their laughter subsided.

________ _ _ _ _

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“So, do you think you will be alright,” Princess Kenny asked.

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“I believe so. I’m hopeful that everything will turn out okay. I can’t thank you enough for doing this,” Butters looked into her Amethyst coloured eyes.  
They were reassuring.

________ _ _ _ _

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“I’m happy to hear that Leopold. Knowing that you’re going to be alright makes me a delighted individual. Try to get your rest and don’t worry too much about Craig, he’ll come to like you eventually.”

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“I understand”

________ _ _ _ _

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The two of them hugged goodbye and Kenny left to go back to the castle. Butters took a deep breath before entering the house and closing the door behind him. The house didn’t look any bigger than it seemed from the outside. He could already see Craig lying in bed awake. He was looking at the ceiling. Next to him was an empty bed in which Butters assumed he was going to sleep in.  
He also noticed a bed on the other side of the house but someone was already sleeping in it. The person seemed to have a smaller posture and couldn’t be that old.  
Butters decided to not worry about that and instead wanted to talk to Craig. He wanted to reintroduce himself because he couldn’t manage to do it last time.  
It didn’t seem like Craig was able to sleep so this may be the perfect time.  
Butters walked over to stand next to Craig’s bed. He didn’t acknowledge Butters his presence however.

________ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _

“Um, hey Craig. I––”

________ _ _ _ _

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“Feldspar” Craig interrupted him.”

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“Um…….what?” a puzzled Butters asked.

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“My name is Feldspar” He still had his eyes on the ceiling.

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“Oh, sorry Feld…-spar? I would like to reintroduce myself in an appropriate fashion. My name is Leopold but most people call me Butters.”

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“No response”

________ _ _ _ _

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“Well you seem tired. We should probably do this another time,” Butters cut his losses with Craig for today and figured he should get his rest.

________ _ _ _ _

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“Am I sleeping in the bed next to yours?” Butters asked.

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Craig let out a deep sigh. He took his eyes of the ceiling and looked at Butters. He nodded and glued his eyes back to the ceiling.

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“Real smooth Leopold. Of course, I would be sleeping in the only available bed. He probably thinks I’m an idiot now” Butters thought by himself.

________ _ _ _ _

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The only thing Butters wanted to do now was to put an end on this hectic day. He walked to his bed and laid down. He wondered which direction he would go now without his grandmother.  
Those 10 years in her household were behind him but he couldn’t tell what was in front of him.

________ _ _ _ _

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Whatever it was, he was hopeful.

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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wait...there is a update to this story? Indeed there is because I have not forgotten about it.  
> My apologies for taking so long with updating this but it took me until January to start writing this chapter.  
> The chapter itself didn't take as long to write compared to the first one and I had a blast writing it.  
> Hopefully, the next chapter won't have as much time between them.
> 
> I really appreciate people reading my story and even leaving kudos.  
> Feel free to leave a comment to tell me what you think.


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